1997 Safari/Astro Window/Door Issues

My 1997 Astro Van has a problem with the drivers side power window. It used to go up only 2" at a time, not it takes hours to get the window up once it's down. I need to replace the power window motor prior to state inspection. I've taken the inside door handle, paneling, etc off, but I've know idea how to get to the motor or where to even get one. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Comments

I have a 94 GMC Safari, I have changed the motor in the drivers door 3 times now, its a snap, the first time you have to drill out the rivits that hold the window motor in.

Once I did that it was just a matter of unpluging the electric cable. I found a used motor at the junk yard for 20 bucks. When I replace it I used screws in place of the rivits so that if it ever happened again it would be a snap.

I've been dealing with an issue with my passenger side power window on my 1995 Chevy Astro. I was told when I bought the van that the motor was burned out. So I went thru the trouble of replacing the motor with a new one. Well, after installing it the window would still not work from either the passenger or driver side.

I recently pulled the motor out to make sure it wasn't because of a stuck window lift. When I had it out and use the switch at the passenger side I found the motor only worked in one direction - UP. I removed and replaced and reinstalled the lift with the window in the up position.

So I proceeded with narrowing down if I had a switch or wiring problem. I confirmed that the switches work on both sides. There's a wire (blue w/ white stripe) that provides a ground return when the passenger lowers the window or +12V when the driver raises the window. The wire is broken between the two switches. I checked the wire thru the door connections and the wire is good going into the vehicle. The wire is broken somewhere inside the van.

My problem is trying to figure out the route of this wire. I tried to see where the wiring harness comes into the van on both sides and can not locate it. Can someone give me an idea of where the harness on each side routes thru the van? Is it deep inside the dashboard? Does it go up and above the ceiling inside the van?

I may just be better off and wire it so only the passenger can operate the window. But want to make sure I'm not able to fix the wire before I do this modification.

I just recently got a 89 astro for free everything works great but sliding door , when I open the door the rear of the door sags just enough to where the door panel gets gaught up and I have to lift the rear of the door to get it to open , and when it is op it's all sloppy in thracking , so does anyone know if i can buy NEW bushings, tracks or whatever i need to fix this problem ?

If you can clearly identify what new parts you need, visit your local GM or local auto shops. They can sell you any part that you need. Do shop around because prices do vary. Even if the dor track (down the mid level of vehicle) looks good to you, I'd by a new replacement track. The door on my previous '95 Safari didn't slide properly. Everything looked ok but the sliding door didn't work well. I replaced its track (even though it looked ok) and from then on, our sliding door worked great. Thus, why I recommend replacing your sliding doors track as well - even if it looks ok to you.

I have the same problem with my '92 Safari. It is also sagging and causes the door not to open properly. I sprayed some Jig-a-loo Super Grease into the door's mechanism and along the tracks and that seemed to do the trick (at least, for now). If you do decide to replace the tracks let me know how much it cost you and how hard it was to do.

Hello, I'm new here - pardon me for posting here, but I don't see a way of starting a new topic - the people who have posted here can surely answer my question, anyway. I just got a new pass. side power mirror for my 2000 Astro and I need to know how to install it. No outside bolts or screws, of course (except 3 on the bottom which obviously aren't it). No screws on inside triangular panel where mirror is mounted.Is it just a matter of carefully prying up this panel with a screwdriver to expose the 3 bolts that hold the mirror in place? Thanks a lot, I'd appreciate any help you can give me.

In my case with the 1995 Astro that I had I could only isolate a broken ground connection between the passenger door and the driver door. I was able to confirm that the wiring going from the switches on both sides were good thru the door connection. Unfortunately, the connection was broken somewhere underneath the dashboard and I was unable to find where the wiring harness it that this ground wire was part of. My only solution to the problem was to wire a ground wire for the passenger switch so that the passenger could raise and lower the window. The driver could only lower the window but had to use the passenger switch to raise it. The factory drawings indicated that there were two harness connectors that the ground traveled thru. I wish I could have found those. But those connectors are embedded inside the dashboard/vehicle frame and are just not easily accessible.

Lesson learned from all this: use jumper leads to test the power window motor to confirm it is bad before changing. Changing out the window motor is quite a painful experience because they are riveted into the door frame. Check the functionality of the window switches too to make sure they are good too.

In my case with the 1995 Astro that I had I could only isolate a broken ground connection between the passenger door and the driver door. I was able to confirm that the wiring going from the switches on both sides were good thru the door connection. Unfortunately, the connection was broken somewhere underneath the dashboard and I was unable to find where the wiring harness it that this ground wire was part of. My only solution to the problem was to wire a ground wire for the passenger switch so that the passenger could raise and lower the window. The driver could only lower the window but had to use the passenger switch to raise it. The factory drawings indicated that there were two harness connectors that the ground traveled thru. I wish I could have found those. But those connectors are embedded inside the dashboard/vehicle frame and are just not easily accessible.

Lesson learned from all this: use jumper leads to test the power window motor to confirm it is bad before changing. Changing out the window motor is quite a painful experience because they are riveted into the door frame. Check the functionality of the window switches too to make sure they are good too.

hi all, new to this forum but look very promising to resolve issues I have with my 99 Astro (160K miles)

1. Power windows went out around for lunch since about 70K miles. At that time, estimates I got to replace the motor was about $300 each side. So it left it alone. Recently while search on web, I saw pair of motors for Astro power windows $50. Wonder how "simple" is it to replace them myself (I'm no expert with cars).

2. Passenger seat the back rest adjustment bar came off from the seat. Now I'm stuck with the bucket seat's back in a single position. Can it be fix or need to replace the whole seat?

3. Some of the radio/cassette button lights (1,2,3,4, ...) is not working anymore, is that another whole sale replacement of the entire radio unit or something can be done to have it fix?

4. There's a very strange problem when running th AC unit. At time (not always) while the unit is running, all of sudden there's no air flow coming out but I can hear the fan is still going. And then it can be 2 to 15 seconds, the air comes back again. The air is cool. When the air flow is cut off, it sometime appears to be when the vehicle is on the uphill run. Although it not always the case. I had the AC unit checked out, and that small vacuum hose leading to/from the resuvior replaced but the problem came back.

Croom, I can tell you this.I'm on my third window motor on the drivers side. If you've never replaced a window motor before, the job may be a bit more than you bargain for depending on your mechanical abilities. On the other hand, it's not brain surgery either. You'll need a special tool to pop the plastic door "clips" out. These clips hold the door panel onto the metal door frame. There are a few screws, torx head if I remember correctly, that also need to be removed. The door regulator and motor are riveted in place from the factory so you'll need to drill the rivets out. A new motor comes with screws and sometimes rivets as well. I have a Haynes repair manual and to be quite honest, it doesn't really give you a very good idea of how involved replacing the motor can be. You will have to rely mostly on your ability to figure it out as you go. The last motor I installed came from e-bay. $20.00. I don't recommend buying a motor from e-bay. This motor barely moves the window. While it's true that I could have returned the motor for another one, the problem is that then you have to wait for a replacement motor to arrive, then you have to do the job a second time. My advice is to try to find a GM dealer that might sell the motor at a reasonable price (good luck). At the very least, try to buy it from a local auto parts store that can provide you with an OEM motor. At least that way, if you get a bad replacement motor, you can take it right back for an exchange... assuming that they didn't have to special order the part in the first place. Before you go out and buy a motor, you should make sure that the problem is not something like a bad switch or a bad ground as explained in earlier posts on this thread. Wish you lived in my neck of the woods-- I'd do both sides for you for half of what your estimate came to. One last thing, I recommend you buy just one motor if you think you are going to attempt this repair. That way, your only out the money for the one motor in case you get in too deep. Hope this is helpful advice and I wish you good luck if you do decide to have a go at it.

That's a really good advise. If I have to get special tools and drill out in order to get parts out, it sounds like I should be prepare to have an alternative transportation in case I'm stuck half way on the job. :-( That happened to me once when I was trying to replace the water pump many years ago on the 79 Toyota. I might have to stuck with inoperable power windows (as I did for the pass 100K) unless I can find someone to replace it at a much reasonable cost.

I have done this twice with no special tools at all. It takes longer to get the door panel off then it did to drill out 3 rivets and replace the motor, I got mine from a junk yard for 25 bucks, the last one I replaced wore out the drive gears and not the motor, good thing I kept the old one, changed out the drive gears and its as good as new. If you can change your oil, you can change this motor. I used metal screws to replace the rivets, just in case I ever had to do it again. good luck, if you have any questions just post them. BTW mine is a 94, with 160K and runs like a top.

Some people rely on a saws-all or a big hammer to fix just about anything... that's great for a home remodel job but not so great for other types of repairs. The reason it might take someone so long to take a door panel off might be because they didn't use the correct tool. For a whopping $6.00 you can buy a door trim removal tool and have the door panel off in less than five minutes without damaging the door trim. If someone wants to try to tear a door panel apart using a pry bar or whatever, well, have at it. For 6 bucks though, most folks would probably agree that the door trim tool is a worth while investment. It will save you some time and frustration. As far as the junk yard window motor goes, I might go that route next time myself. It cant be any worse than the last two crappy motors I got saddled with.

I have had a problem with my drivers side window not coming up after it has been opened. It opens and closes fine but occasional after it has opened it will not close. It will go up an inch or so then stop. If I wait for a few minutes and try it again it will again move up a little bit and then stop. Eventually I will be able to get it up all the way but it takes quite a few attempts. It doesn't always happen, like the times I have taken it in to the GM dealership, and it of course works fine. The dealership said they looked at the system and says it works fine. It is now off warranty and it still happens and I am afraid to open the window when I go to a car wash for fear that I am unable to get the window closed. It is also a pain when it is raining or -40 below outside. I have had to manually stop the vehicle and pull on the window to assist it up at times and this seems to work. Can anyone help with my problem? Thanks Bob

I OWN A 1995 SAFARI VAN. I AM TRYING TO FIND AND PURCHASE A PASSENGER SIDE (RIGHT SIDE) POWER WINDOW SWITCH. THE ONE I NEED IS A SINGLE SWITCH, IN IT'S OWN BLACK PLASTIC BEZEL. ALL I CAN FIND ON THE INTERNET IS THE DOUBLE SWITCH FOR THE DRIVERS SIDE DOOR. IT SEEMS THAT ALL THE DEALERS CARRY THE DOUBLE SWITCH, BUT NO ONE HAS THE PASSENGER SIDE SWITCH. ANYBODY HAVE ANY ANSWER . HELLO OUT THERE. THANKS, JOHNDEE

It sounds like you may have either a stripped gear, or a shot in the motor. I would try to locate a used window motor and replace it. not sure where you are, but around here you can get them all day long for around 30 bucks used.

They are not that hard to change out, first time may have to drill out the rivets, and replace them with some self tapping metal screws.

Did you ever find out what the problem was with your window? I have the same exact problem with the driver and passenger windows. If I roll them all the way down it takes forever to get them back up. Everything you described is what happens to me.

I have not fixed it as yet, but it is becoming more annoying all the time. It doesn't always stick but seems to at the worst times like when you are going into a car wash and have to put the window down to get the ticket. I just patiently keep pushing the button and it goes up a little at a time and finally get it all the way up. Have you fixed yours?

I also have the same exact problem with both of my Astros (95&'01)...very agonizing! to say the least!!! I have lived with this prob for many years on the '95 and because I am retired on a fixed income I cannot afford (yet) to get them fixed as dealer wants too much $$$. I recently bought the '01 (LS with leather seats and 62k miles-- real nice!) but the left door window quit working (going UP) a month after i bought it. I'll look into fixing it following the suggestions on this forum and maybe with the help of my son (a Cessna mechanic) we can "get 'er done!). :confuse: LOL